Sept. 17, 2014

Watertown  – Father Joseph Kanimea, a Missionary of the Sacred Heart from Fiji, is the featured speaker at this year’s Sacred Heart Foundation Annual Scholarship Benefit Dinner.  The dinner will be held Sept.17at the Hilton Garden Inn in beginning at 6pm.

Father Kanimea, born and raised in Rabi, Fiji (South Pacific), studied for the priesthood at Pacific Regional Seminary and majored in Formation studies at Santo Tomas, Manila, Philippine.

He professed first vows in 1993 and final vows in June 1999.

Ordained in January 2001, Father Kanimea has served in various positions in Samoa, Fiji, Tuvalu (a Polynesian island midway between Hawaii and Australia) and, since November, 2012, as parochial vicar at Holy Family Parish in Nazareth, Pennsylvania.

In addition to his pastoral work in parishes, Father Joseph has also served as a part-time faculty member of the Pacific Regional Seminary where he lectured in Sacred Theology.

The dinner is the 41st annual event for the Sacred Heart Foundation. The faith based not-for profit foundation provides financial support to men studying to become Missionaries of the Sacred Heart in seminaries and formation houses  around the world.

These scholarships help to educate priests at a time when small communities are closing churches or cutting back on pastoral services. In 2014, seventy-five awards totaling $77,000 were distributed.

The total dollar awards represent the largest one-year distribution in the Foundation’s 46 year history.

This year’s scholarship group comes from varied cultures and nationalities.  The men are studying for the priesthood in the United States, Colombia, Brazil, Cameroun, Fiji, India, Korea, Papua New Guinea, Dominican Republic and Indonesia.

The foundation has awarded $1,551,568 in scholarships since it was established in Watertown in 1967.

The Foundation’s endowment is approaching $3 million.  It is administered by a voluntary board. 

Tickets for the dinner are available for $40 per person from the foundation office at 315 782-3344. Tickets are $40 per person. 

One-half of each ticket purchased qualifies as a donation to foundation’s endowment fund and is deductible.